UNBS, Energy Ministry push self-monitoring for fuel quality

Mbarara, Uganda — The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) are urging fuel station owners to adopt self-monitoring systems to improve compliance with national fuel standards.

The recommendation was made during a joint awareness campaign in southwestern Uganda to educate local authorities on fuel quality and measurement accuracy.

Peter Kitimbo, a field supervisor for the Fuel Marking and Quality Monitoring Program, said most fuel adulteration happens in transit. He said self-monitoring systems would help stations detect and reject substandard fuel before regulators inspect the premises.

“Most of the fuel is adulterated during transportation,” Kitimbo said. “By the time fuel reaches its destination, it has already been tampered with. We are encouraging fuel station owners to put in place self-monitoring systems.”

Daniel Richard Nangalama Makayi, UNBS deputy executive director, called on stakeholders to join the fight against what he called three major malpractices in the industry: adulteration, smuggling and dumping. He said these issues negatively affect businesses and the economy.

The joint program is designed to monitor the quality of petroleum products throughout Uganda’s supply chain. While the eastern region has the highest non-compliance rate at 36%, the program has successfully reduced overall fuel adulteration rates from over 30% in 2000 to less than 1% in 2025.